Piglatin focuses on Cocina while food truck remains out of commission

As of Jan. 27, Piglatin Cocina has soft-opened, with a grand opening set for Saturday, Feb. 10, though co-owner Andres Velez says that may change.

For those unfamiliar, Andres and wife Tricia Velez co-owned and -operated Piglatin Food Truck between 2013 and 2017, shutting down in August 2017 due to brake problems and outgrowing the kitchen space they rented. Piglatin Cocina’s the brick-and-mortar evolution of the spot, featuring favorites from the truck and plenty of new additions besides, including Korean fried chicken, a seafood boil and Cuban desserts. The biggest change: It isn’t just Andres and Tricia in the kitchen. They’ve got a team of eight, plus an intern from Pikes Peak Community College’s culinary program.

“Tricia and I are still cooking in there, but we’re trying to step away more and promote some of the cooks to leads and sous chefs,” he says. They’ve also brought on a new business partner, bar manager Aaron Ewton. He’s responsible for stocking the bar, which has a variety of canned beers, boxed wines and cocktails. Velez honors his heritage by offering aguardiente, a Colombian sugar cane spirit flavored with anise.

Unfortunately, the food truck’s closed indefinitely while Andres and Tricia focus on getting the Cocina up to full speed.